Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in nutrient-rich solutions, with or without the use of inert soil or other medium such as perlite, peat moss, vermiculite, rock/mineral wool to name a few. The inert materials primarily function as a matrix to hold the root balls of the plants which are saturated with nutrient-rich solutions for the growth of the plants. Hydroponics as a method of plant culture was first propounded by Francis Bacon in the 17th century. In the beginning, hydroponic cultivation of plants was practiced predominantly on a commercial scale, requiring the use of heavy and cumbersome equipment. With the increasing popularity in hydroponic plant culture, hobbyist' interested in practicing the art have had to contrive their own structures for growing plants using the technique, to fit their limited spaces.
Hydroponic systems described in the prior art are either stationary or portable. U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,460 to Darlington describes a support structure on which the matrix material holding the plant roots are fastened using a grid of fasteners for hydroponic growing of plants in a vertical orientation. An example of a vertical hydroponic system with a plurality of upwardly extending plant support structures in the form of columns is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,350 to Dick. Horizontal hydroponic culture of plants are also known in the art such as the hydroponic/aeroponic drum structure described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,886 to Bourgoin et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,844 to Steele and U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,506 to Powell et al which use plant growing trays.
Modular hydroponic cultivating systems are also known in the prior art. One of the earlier such prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,818 to Cameron which describes a stackable, vertical hydroponic growing system composed of frusto-conical shell-like members holding rooting material for the plants. U.S. Pat. No. 7,877,927 to Roy et al., describes a modular aeroponic/hydroponic container comprising vertical columns of cultivating compartments which is mountable to a surface. U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,282 to Bryan, III is a hydroponic plant cultivating apparatus with modules stacked end to end to form a vertical planting column. An example of a horizontal modular planting apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,482 to Bradley and an expandable hydroponic system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,975,430 to Scott.
The present invention is a modular hydroponic garden system that has a unique shape in the form of a spiral pyramid which is both functional as a hydroponic plant cultivation apparatus as well as aesthetically pleasing to look at.